Hello Wild Side Readers!

Tomorrow I have the pleasure of helping with the Environmental Professionals Network Breakfast program called Breakfast with the Birds: Advocacy and Conservation in Urban Green Spaces. I will be leading a tour around the beautiful Scioto Audubon Metro Park after the inside presentations conclude at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. I plan to have short discussions on the importance of green spaces, especially urban forests within our urban ecosystems. If this subject interests you, I encourage you to check out my last article for more resources on managing public trees and spaces for wildlife. Below, you find some additional resources on providing native plants for wildlife, including birds, pollinators, and bats. Enjoy!

OSU Extension Fact Sheet: Native Trees: Creating Living Landscapes for Birds, Butterflies, Bees, and Other Beneficials

OSU Extension Fact Sheet: Native Shrubs: Creating Living Landscapes for Birds, Butterflies, Bees, and Other Beneficials

OSU Plant-by-Numbers Garden Plans for Butterflies & Moths, Specialist Bees, and Bumble Bees

Native Bee Resources:

• OSU Bee Lab – ‘Native Bee’ tab
• Books by Heather Holm
• Bumble Bees of NA – Paul Williams et al. 2014
• Bees in Your Backyard – Joseph Williams and Olivia Messinger Carril
• Nesting & Overwintering Habitat for Pollinators & Other Beneficial Insects – Xerces publication
• Bumble Bee ID

Ohio Bat Working Group: information on Ohio bats, coexisting with bats, and habitat management included providing habitat for bats in forests and backyards. Bat house plans and guidance.

American Bird Conservancy – Preventing Bird Window Strikes information

Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative Resources:

• Ohio Lights Out
• Managing Forest Birds in SE Ohio – A Guide for Land Managers
• Managing Small Forest Patches for Birds – A Guide for Landowners

Great apps for more learning:

• iNaturalist
• Picture This or Google Lens
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology – Merlin

I hope you are able to get out and enjoy your community’s green spaces soon!

Marne Titchenell

Wildlife Program Specialist

Hello Wild Side Readers,

If you are new to this blog, I share information on Ohio’s wildlife, but as an educator, I also create posts related to presentations at educational events. Recently, I had the honor of presenting a webinar for the Smithsonian Gardens ‘Let’s Talk Gardens’ webinar series. I spoke about managing trees and small forest patches in urban and suburban areas for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. The below links are resources I shared during that presentation, as well as the slide set.

One item I didn’t get to in my presentation, was several new fact sheets for those interested in wildlife-friendly landscaping. The two fact sheets below share information on several native trees and shrubs that provide benefits to multiple species. Enjoy!

Native Trees: Creating Living Landscapes for Birds, Butterflies, Bees, and Other Beneficials

Native Shrubs: Creating Living Landscapes for Birds, Butterflies, Bees, and Other Beneficials

Also be sure to check out the NEW Plant by Numbers Guides for Specialist Bees, Bumble Bees, and Butterflies & Moths.

Managing Public Trees and Spaces for Wildlife – slide set

Managing Public Trees and Spaces for Wildlife – webinar

Links/Resources:

Doug Tallamy webinar – Restoring Nature’s Relationships at Home (the connection between trees and caterpillars)

3 Billion Birds Lost Research and Website

Alternatives to Non-native, Invasive Plants Brochure and Website– Ohio Invasive Plant Council

• Woody Invasives of the Great Lakes Collaborative (WIGL)
• Midwest Invasive Plant Network
• Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health

Butterflies & Moths of North America

American Trails Info on Greenway Planning

Bringing the Snag into the Urban Forest (Arborists and Wildlife: Retaining Trees for Wildlife Habitat) – Brian French

Dead Wood for Wildlife webinar

Nest Box & Bat House Resources

Ohio Lights Out Program

American Bird Conservation Info on Preventing Bird Collisions

Wildlife Conflict Resources

Buckeye Yard and Garden Online  – provides timely information about Ohio growing conditions, pest, disease, and cultural problems.

Urban Wildlife Information Network

USDA Forest Service Urban Forest Info:

Urban & Community Forestry Inflation Reduction Act Grants

Urban Forest Research

Urban Field Stations

The Cross Pollinator Newsletter – great article on urban forest patches and their importance!

Fact Sheets/Bulletins:

Ohio Woodland Stewards Invasive Species Fact Sheets

Managing Small Forest Patches for Birds – Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative

Creating Snags (Controlling Undesirable Trees, Shrubs, and Vines) – OSU Extension fact sheet

Crop Tree Management – OSU Extension fact sheet

Enhancing Food (Mast) Production for Woodland Wildlife – OSU Extension fact sheet

Ohio Trees for Bees – OSU Extension fact sheet

Nesting and Overwintering Habitat for Pollinators and Other Beneficial Insects

Research papers:

Wang et al. 2021 – Tree species richness and diversity predicts the magnitude of urban heat island mitigation effects of greenspaces

Baker et al. 2020 – Suitability of native milkweed (Asclepias) species versus cultivars for supporting monarch butterflies and bees in urban gardens

Ricker et al. 2019 – Comparing Insect Pollination Visitation for Six Native Shrub Species and their Cultivars

Narango et al. 2018 – Nonnative plants reduce population growth of an insectivorous bird

Mason et al. 2006 – Designing suburban greenways to provide habitat for forest-breeding birds

Recommended Books:

Good Garden Bugs by Mary M. Gardiner

Shrubs and Woody Vines of Indiana and the Midwest by Sally and Harmon Weeks

Native Trees of the Midwest by Weeks, Weeks, and Parker

If you would like more information on forest management, please visit the Ohio Woodland Stewards website. We also have a list of webinars on a variety of forestry and wildlife topics. Enjoy!

Marne Titchenell

Wildlife Program Specialist

Hello Wild Side Readers,

Have you seen headlines in the news lately about deer with COVID-19? Some of these headlines are a bit misleading. Check out the below information on what is really going on.

SARS-CoV-2 and Deer

In a late August press release, the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory announced confirmation of the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) in wild wild-tailed deer in Ohio. Earlier studies have shown that deer can be experimentally infected with the virus, and that wild deer (from samples in IL, MI, NY, and PA) had antibodies to the virus.

• The deer tested were positive for the virus (SARS-CoV-2) but were not diagnosed with the illness (COVID-19). Some headlines you may see (including the above press release) are misleading! Currently, it appears that deer are asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
• According to the Ohio Department of Health, there is no evidence that animals, including deer, play a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to people.
  • Based on the available information, the risk of animals spreading SARS-CoV-2 to people is low.
• Currently, it is unknown how the deer contracted the virus, though typically the route of infection is from human to animals.
  • Infections have been reported in a small number of other wildlife species, mostly in animals that had close contact with a person with COVID-19. More info here.

Is hunter-harvested game meat safe to eat?

• According to the Ohio Department of Health, there is no evidence that people can get SARS-CoV-2 by preparing or eating meat from an animal infected with SARS-CoV-2, including wild game meat hunted in the United States.
• Hunters should always practice good hygiene when processing animals.

Additional actions to stop virus transmission:

• To limit deer-to-deer transmission, the Ohio Division of Wildlife continues to urge homeowners and hunters to avoid concentrating deer at backyard feeders or in hunting situations. In addition to SARS-CoV-2, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and bovine tuberculosis (bTB) remain on the list of diseases that could be easily transmitted from deer to deer under these situations. CWD was confirmed in two wild deer in Wyandot County during the 2020-21 deer hunting season (see here for more information on CWD in Ohio’s deer herd). Ohio’s herd remains bTB-free.

More information:

• Contact the Ohio Department of Health for questions about the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from white-tailed deer to humans; 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634) or odh.ohio.gov.
• Contact the Ohio Department of Agriculture for questions about the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to pets or livestock; 614-728-6201 or agri.ohio.gov.
• Press release on Deer with Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2
• FAQ on Deer with Antibodies Study – also has food safety recs for hunters processing animals

Thanks for reading!

Marne Titchenell

Wildlife Program Specialist

UPDATE:  If you found your way here after my recent Owls of the Tristate presentation I gave at the 2024 Ohio River Valley Woodand and Wildlife Landowner workshop, you are in the right place! 🙂  Below are the resources I mentioned during the presentation. Enjoy!

Hello Wild Side Readers!

If you caught my last post, you’ll know that this year’s Farm Science Review is virtual and all educational materials and presentations will be available starting next week. Check out my last post for more info and the schedule of Gwynne Conservation Area Presentations.

One of the Gwynne presentations is called Owls of Ohio. In the video I created, I promised to provide additional resources for attracting owls to your property. Below is a list of additional resources on owls. Enjoy!

Owl Life History Resources:

Ohio Division of Wildlife Owls of Ohio Field Guide

Barn Owl Population Status Report

Barn Owl Nest Box Plans and Placement Guides – both of the below guides are great!

•  Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resouces
• Indiana DNR

Nesting Platform Plans for Great-horned owls

Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds – more info about each owl species

Nest Box Resources: 

Nest box specifications and placement recommendation for screech owls, wood ducks, and more – HERE.

Ohio Division of Wildlife Attracting Birds of Ohio – nest box plans for screech owl

Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch – tips and plans for nest boxes for birds

Management for Owls Resources: 

OSU Extension Fact Sheet – Dead Trees for Wildlife

NC State Extension Working with Wildlife – Owls

Presentation on Dead Wood for Wildlife – Ohio Woodland Stewards’ Friday Escape to the Forest Webinar Series

• Info on creating and maintaining den trees and snags & constructing brush piles

General Management Recommendations for Forest & Open Habitats for Raptors (including owls) 

Managing Forest Birds in Southeast Ohio

Managing Small Forest Patches for Birds

Recommended Apps:

• Merlin, Cornell Lab of Ornithology – listen to bird calls (including owls), life history info, song/call ID
• Audubon Bird Guide

Recommended Books:

• Hawks at a Distance – Jerry Liguori
• Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America
• Birds of the Prey of the Midwest Field Guide – Stan Tekiela
• Crossley’s ID Guide: Raptors – Richard Crossley

Marne Titchenell

Wildlife Program Specialist

In Ohio, short-eared owls can be seen during winter hunting over open fields and grasslands.